Rapha Gets on the Fast Track with EFI Optitex 3D

31 March 2020

Electronics For Imaging’s (EFI) global provider of integrated end-to-end 2D and 3D CAD/CAM software solutions for the fashion and apparel industry, today announced its agreement with Rapha® Racing Ltd., one of the world’s top cycling clothing manufacturers. Through the agreement, Rapha purchased EFI Optitex 3D solutions to enhance its design and production workflow.

Founded in 2004, London-based Rapha’s cycling clothing collections are globally recognised for redefining comfort, performance, and style for cyclists from beginners to WorldTour professionals. Rapha’s mission is to make cycling the most popular sport in the world. The company organises and sponsors rides and events both within its global 15,000-strong members base known as the Rapha Cycling Club, and for the general public. Rapha has been working with the world’s best athletes for many years and currently partners with the women’s UCI WorldTour team, CANYON//SRAM and the men’s WorldTour team EF Education First® Pro Cycling.

With Rapha’s commitment to excellence, accelerating design processes and implementing advanced digital solutions, adding EFI Optitex 3D was the next logical step in ensuring the delivery of high-quality products, on time and on budget.

EFI Optitex partnered with Rapha to boost the clothing manufacturer’s overall efficiency, enabling Rapha to gain a real competitive edge in the industry. The company first implemented EFI Optitex 2D solutions, and more recently augmented the software with EFI Optitex 3D solutions to integrate 3D digital design and prototyping into Rapha’s workflows. Rapha is currently participating in training and on-boarding to implement EFI Optitex 3D Pattern Design Software (PDS) with photorealistic renderings and the 3D Design Illustrator (3DDI) plugin.

Today, Rapha is primed and ready to grow and embrace the power of an integrated 2D-3D workflow. With EFI Optitex 3D, Rapha will benefit from significant savings in sample production time and make quick adoption decisions. The company will be able to showcase true-to-life virtual samples within hours and work with a single digital asset, eliminating manual steps in the design-development process.

“We chose Optitex 2D as our pattern cutting solution because of its intuitive, easy-to-use tools and functionalities, and its insight into implementing EFI Optitex 3D down the road, to serve as a single solution in helping us to reduce samples through fit assessment early in the process,” said Rapha Head of Atelier Claudine Rousseau. “What’s more, investing in 3DDI will greatly help our graphics team to visualise graphic applications, and facilitate a more experimental approach. It will also minimise errors in communication with our vendors, saving time and costs.”

Rousseau added, “We are keen to work with EFI Optitex as a long-term partner to take innovative digital solutions forward, as we strive to maintain our reputation as a leading cyclewear brand.”

EFI Optitex General Manager Amir Lehr commented, “As an amateur cyclist and an avid customer of Rapha, I’ve learned to appreciate the functional fit, care for details and meticulous design Rapha provides. We share the objective of accelerating concept-to-delivery and customisation while maintaining strict quality control enabled by digitising the workflow, today, and well into the future.”